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1.Title:  J.P. Lesley Diaries (1874-1881)
 Dates:  1874 - 1881 
 Extent:  4 volumes  
 Locations:  Philadelphia 
 Abstract:  The four volumes of diaries contained in the J.P. Lesley Papers coincide with his appointment as Director of the Second Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Spanning 1874-1881, these volumes ought to interest scholars researching the Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, and the fields of applied geology and coal and iron mining more broadly. The first volume (1874) includes pages concerning the creation of the survey, copies of the acts of Congress, and Lesley's commentary on those acts. Notably, he includes a striking topographical map of Pennsylvania, colored for the principal geological formations (p.69). In fact, the third volume (1875-1876) includes a loose topographic map that bears striking similarity to the aforementioned. Finally, the second and fourth volumes (1874-1875 and 1877-1881, respectively) documents ore mining with some attention to fossils discovered. 
    
 
    
The four volumes of diaries contained in the J.P. Lesley Papers coincide with his appointment as Director of the Second Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Spanning 1874-1881, these volumes ought to interest scholars researching the Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, and the fields of applied geology and coal and iron mining more broadly. The first volume (1874) includes pages concerning the creation of the survey, copies of the acts of Congress, and Lesley's commentary on those acts. Notably, he includes a striking topographical map of Pennsylvania, colored for the principal geological formations (p.69). In fact, the third volume (1875-1876) includes a loose topographic map that bears striking similarity to the aforementioned. Finally, the second and fourth volumes (1874-1875 and 1877-1881, respectively) documents ore mining with some attention to fossils discovered.
 
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 Subjects:  Coal mines and mining--Pennsylvania. | Diaries. | Geology. | Mining engineering. | United States--Civilization--1865-1918. 
 Collection:  J.P. Lesley Papers  (Mss.B.L56)  
  Go to the collection
 
2.Title:  Charles Thomas Jackson Notebooks (1833-1857)
 Dates:  1833 - 1857 
 Extent:  5 volumes  
 Locations:  Boston | Concord | Portsmouth | Quebec City 
 Abstract:  Charles Thomas Jackson maintained at least five notebooks that could be classified as diaries, which detail geological expeditions undertaken between 1833-1849. These diaries may interest researchers considering Jackson's geological surveys, New England farming, husbandry, and geology, and the Lower Canada Rebellion. 
    
The first journal, entitled, "Exchange Book A 1833," includes notes on minerals, individuals, and destinations spanning 6/15/1833-4/7/1843.
 
Jackson maintained two sequential volumes between 1840 and 1841. The 1840 notebook contains entries written between 9/21-10/6, and devotes significant attention to non-geological affairs, such as towns and people, husbandry, farming methods, and yields for oats, potatoes, wheat, and various dairy products. The 1841 volume is considerably more focused on geology, with detailed accounts of granite, smoky quartz, limestone, iron, marble, and lead mines and quarries across New England. While these entries are almost single-mindedly focused on geology, there are instances when Jackson considers other affairs. For example, between 7/4-7/9, he briefly acknowledges the illness, death, and funeral of his daughter, Susan
 
on 7/20, he notes a "late speculation mania
 
" and shortly after an 8/17 entry, he describes a visit to Quebec with some commentary on the Lower Canada Rebellion. This journal features numerous hand-drawn diagrams, many of which are noteworthy for their excellent draftsmanship (8/15 and 9/15).
 
An 1849 journal continues in much the same vein, detailing geological discoveries, carefully rendered diagrams (e.g. 8/4), and barometric readings.
 
Jackson also maintained an account book that spans January 1855-October 1857. That volume features a letter to a "Humphrey Esq.," dated 1/6/186[sic] and a signed entry concerning a dispute regarding certified copies of a document, dated 8/21 (presumably 1857). Interested researchers may choose to review other notebooks in the Geology Journals box, such as a catalog of rocks and minerals from Lake Superior and a scrapbook maintained by Mrs. C.J. Jackson, dated 1881.
 
    
Charles Thomas Jackson maintained at least five notebooks that could be classified as diaries, which detail geological expeditions undertaken between 1833-1849. These diaries may interest researchers considering Jackson's geological surveys, New England farming, husbandry, and geology, and the Lower Canada Rebellion.
 
The first journal, entitled, "Exchange Book A 1833," includes notes on minerals, individuals, and destinations spanning 6/15/1833-4/7/1843.
 
Jackson maintained two sequential volumes between 1840 and 1841. The 1840 notebook contains entries written between 9/21-10/6, and devotes significant attention to non-geological affairs, such as towns and people, husbandry, farming methods, and yields for oats, potatoes, wheat, and various dairy products. The 1841 volume is considerably more focused on geology, with detailed accounts of granite, smoky quartz, limestone, iron, marble, and lead mines and quarries across New England. While these entries are almost single-mindedly focused on geology, there are instances when Jackson considers other affairs. For example, between 7/4-7/9, he briefly acknowledges the illness, death, and funeral of his daughter, Susan
 
on 7/20, he notes a "late speculation mania
 
" and shortly after an 8/17 entry, he describes a visit to Quebec with some commentary on the Lower Canada Rebellion. This journal features numerous hand-drawn diagrams, many of which are noteworthy for their excellent draftsmanship (8/15 and 9/15).
 
An 1849 journal continues in much the same vein, detailing geological discoveries, carefully rendered diagrams (e.g. 8/4), and barometric readings.
 
Jackson also maintained an account book that spans January 1855-October 1857. That volume features a letter to a "Humphrey Esq.," dated 1/6/186[sic] and a signed entry concerning a dispute regarding certified copies of a document, dated 8/21 (presumably 1857). Interested researchers may choose to review other notebooks in the Geology Journals box, such as a catalog of rocks and minerals from Lake Superior and a scrapbook maintained by Mrs. C.J. Jackson, dated 1881.
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  Selected Quotations
  • Death of Daughter: "This morning she is evidently sinking. 5 PM she died—We returned to Boston & the corpse of the child was brought down in the night by the [nurse]" (7/7/1841)

  • Quebec and Lower Canadian Rebellion: "We have now no hairbreadth escapes to relate and all goes glibly as the railroad car on the present route. We held long talks with the Canadian Caliche drivers who showed us all the scenes of the Insurrection of Montreal & Vicinity. The Canadians have been sadly abused by the English & abominably neglected by the Americans. Had they revolted they would have been styled Heroes & would have been crowded with laurels but because they failed ignominy & the scaffolds are regarded as their just dues!!! This is human justice and human glory! It was so in Paris in June 1832. That was an infamous rebellion because it failed although it had a better cause than the Revolution of the 3 days of July 1830" (8/17/1841)

  • Speculation mania: "another pyrite mine was discovered & the dreams of gold silver & copper were dissipated in a sulfurous smoke at once by my verdict on the nature of the minerals obtained by villains at the mine" (9/13/1841)
 
 Subjects:  Accounts. | Agriculture. | Canada--History--1763-1867. | Diaries. | Expedition | Geology. | New England. | Rebellions, revolts, and uprisings | Science. | Travel. 
 Collection:  Papers of Charles Thomas Jackson  (Mss.Ms.Coll.190)  
  
3.Title:  Alfred P. Rockwell Notebook (1859)
 Dates:  1859 - 1859 
 Extent:  1 volume  
 Locations:  Freiberg | Harz 
 Abstract:  The Rockwell Papers do not include any diaries per se. While one notebook is identified as a June 25, 1859 diary, there are only three dated entries (8/31, 9/15, and 11/18), none of which begin on the suggested date. Those entries do, however, include granular details of industrial factories and machinery in Belgium and Germany. 
    
The Alfred P. Rockwell Papers also include other notebooks on mining engineering (some containing sketches), including two volumes of notes on John Percy's lectures at the Museum of Practical Geology, 1858, and three volumes kept during his stay at the Bergakademie Freiberg, including one on a course on metallurgy taught by Bernhard von Cotta, 1858-1859.
 
    
The Rockwell Papers do not include any diaries per se. While one notebook is identified as a June 25, 1859 diary, there are only three dated entries (8/31, 9/15, and 11/18), none of which begin on the suggested date. Those entries do, however, include granular details of industrial factories and machinery in Belgium and Germany.
 
The Alfred P. Rockwell Papers also include other notebooks on mining engineering (some containing sketches), including two volumes of notes on John Percy's lectures at the Museum of Practical Geology, 1858, and three volumes kept during his stay at the Bergakademie Freiberg, including one on a course on metallurgy taught by Bernhard von Cotta, 1858-1859.
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 Subjects:  Bergakademie Freiberg | Coal mines and mining--Belgium | Coal mines and mining--Germany. | Diaries. | Europe. | Geology--Belgium. | Geology--Germany. | Geology. | Machinery. | Metallurgy--Study and teaching. | Mining engineering. | Travel. 
 Collection:  Alfred P. Rockwell Papers  (Mss.B.R59p)  
  Go to the collection
 
4.Title:  George Hunter Journals (1796-1809)
 Dates:  1796 - 1809 
 Extent:  4 volumes  
 Locations:  Baltimore | Berlin | Blue Lick | Carlisle | Frankford | Lexington | Louisville | Millersburg | Natchez | New Orleans | Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | Port Vincent | Richmond | Sadler | Saint Catharine's | Saint Louis | Shippensburg | Washington D.C. | Wheeling 
 Abstract:  George Hunter maintained four journals during expeditions into Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, and Louisiana between 1796-1809. Hunter records his daily affairs, observations of territories, visits to trading centers, and commentary on international rivalries and relations with various indigenous peoples, including the Delaware, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Osage. With rich, narrative accounts of western travel in the early national period—including exploration of Louisiana shortly after the Louisiana Purchase—the Hunter diaries ought to interest scholars researching the American west, Native America, and U.S. empire. 
    
Interested researchers would do well to consult the detailed description of Hunter's four volumes available in the Early American History Note. For the purposes of diary researchers, the first volume (1796) warrants attention for its descriptions of indigenous peoples and early settlements. For example, Hunter offers an extended account of St. Louis (9/4/1796). He also describes an Indian woman whose nose was cut off by her husband for infidelity, a passage excerpted in Selected Quotations (9/9/1796). The 1802 journal documents Hunter's trip across Pennsylvania (Berlin, Carlisle, and Shippensburg), visit to a cave in Kentucky, and discussion of salt production at Blue Lick. Finally, the last two journals (1804, 1809) include various travels in the South, including a description of expedition to the Hot Springs of Arkansas (1804-1805) as well as longitudes and latitudes that researchers might use to trace Hunter's journey. Notably, Hunter discovers Mammoth bones, which he compares to those of Charles Wilson Peale, writing, "I cannot for bear mentioning a great natural curiosity I have just seen here [sic] about 2 ½ Tons of Bones of one or two Mammoths twice as large as Peals" (5/27/1804).
 
    
George Hunter maintained four journals during expeditions into Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, and Louisiana between 1796-1809. Hunter records his daily affairs, observations of territories, visits to trading centers, and commentary on international rivalries and relations with various indigenous peoples, including the Delaware, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Osage. With rich, narrative accounts of western travel in the early national period—including exploration of Louisiana shortly after the Louisiana Purchase—the Hunter diaries ought to interest scholars researching the American west, Native America, and U.S. empire.
 
Interested researchers would do well to consult the detailed description of Hunter's four volumes available in the Early American History Note. For the purposes of diary researchers, the first volume (1796) warrants attention for its descriptions of indigenous peoples and early settlements. For example, Hunter offers an extended account of St. Louis (9/4/1796). He also describes an Indian woman whose nose was cut off by her husband for infidelity, a passage excerpted in Selected Quotations (9/9/1796). The 1802 journal documents Hunter's trip across Pennsylvania (Berlin, Carlisle, and Shippensburg), visit to a cave in Kentucky, and discussion of salt production at Blue Lick. Finally, the last two journals (1804, 1809) include various travels in the South, including a description of expedition to the Hot Springs of Arkansas (1804-1805) as well as longitudes and latitudes that researchers might use to trace Hunter's journey. Notably, Hunter discovers Mammoth bones, which he compares to those of Charles Wilson Peale, writing, "I cannot for bear mentioning a great natural curiosity I have just seen here [sic] about 2 ½ Tons of Bones of one or two Mammoths twice as large as Peals" (5/27/1804).
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  Selected Quotations
  • "After dinner crossed the Mississippi, in a Canoe, swimming our horses after it, & came to the Town of St. Louis, on the Spanish side, here we also paid our respects to the Commandant & were politely received…This Town is built on the banks of the Mississippi upon high ground with a gradual descent to the water. Is very healthy to appearance. The children seem ruddy & water is good, & everything puts on a better appearance than on our side" (9/4/1796)

  • "There is a considerable resort of Indians, they are constantly thro & about this hour at all times, like as many pet Lambs, at present there is a Man, his Squa & child sitting by the kitchen fire. The squa has a piece of her nose cut off by this very husband now sitting peaceably by her sit, in a fit of Jealousy, she wears a piece of [Ten?] bent over the part to make out the nose. It seems with them that for the first offence this way with another man, the Squa is punished with a sound drubbing, for the next, he cuts off the end of her nose, & for the third he either kills her or turns her away" (9/9/1796)

  • "I cannot for bear mentioning a great natural curiosity I have just seen here [sic] about 2 ½ Tons of Bones of one or two Mammoths twice as large as Peals" (5/27/1804)
 
 Subjects:  American Western Life | Cherokee Indians. | Chickasaw Indians. | Choctaw Indians. | Delaware Indians. | Diaries. | Expedition | Geology. | Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826. | Meteorology. | Native America | Natural history. | Osage Indians. | Science. | Travel. | United States--Civilization--1783-1865. | Weather. 
 Collection:  George Hunter Journals  (Mss.B.H912)  
  Go to the collection
 
5.Title:  Albert Charles Peale Diaries (1864-1877)
 Dates:  1864 - 1877 
 Extent:  9 volumes  
 Locations:  Baltimore | Bear River | Blackfoot | Buffalo Peak | Cheyenne | Chicago | Colorado Springs | Council Bluffs | Denver | Fairplay | Fremont Butte | Hamilton | Kansas City | Ogden | Omaha | Philadelphia | Pikes Peak | Richmond | Savannah | Soda Springs | Washington D.C. | Wilmington 
 Abstract:  Albert C. Peale Papers contain nine volumes that might be classified as diaries. These volumes traverse the American Civil War and Reconstruction period (1864-1877) and provide a window into the exploration and conquest of what is today Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. The great-grandson of Charles Willson Peale, Albert Charles Peale was a prominent geologist in and author of numerous books in geology, mineralogy, and paleobotany. His journals offer a glimpse into his contributions to the Ferdinand Hayden expeditions, which explored and mapped the western United States. In furnishing numerous accounts of local indigenous peoples, including the Bannock and Shosoni, these volumes may interest scholars researching Native America, western exploration, the fields of geology and mineralogy, and the history of science. 
    
The first three volumes in the Albert C. Peale Papers are the most idiosyncratic. They include a daybook with weather observations (3/10-5/18/1864), a diary associated with a tour of Washington, D.C. during President Andrew Johnson's administration (c.1865-1869), and a lecture notebook pertaining to studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Of those early volumes, A. C. Peale's diary of his tour of Washington D.C. is perhaps most noteworthy. It recounts his travels from Philadelphia through Wilmington and Baltimore, tours of monuments and government buildings, including the U.S. Patent Office, Government Printing Office, and White House, and a handshake with President Johnson during that tour (2/7/1865).
 
The remaining six diaries (1872-1877) are devoted to various western expeditions in what is today Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. In his first diary (5/15-7/20/1872), A. C. Peale recounts his travel by rail from Philadelphia to Omaha, from which he would conduct his western expeditions. The second volume (5/29-8/15/1873), devotes significant attention to his mineralogical work, including gathering fossils, documenting canyons and volcanic peaks, and ascending various peaks and plateaus. Notably, he references photographer William Henry Jackson, who he writes "disturbed us to take a picture." (8/8/1873). The next two diaries (8/16-10/26/1873 and 5/14/1873-7/18/1874) recount the movement of the party over the next year, most especially campsites, weather problems, and travel constraints. The latter volume also records trip to Savannah (11/20/1873) and includes some accounts in the back of the journal.
 
The final two volumes continue in much the same vein, but offer records of interactions with Bannock and Shosoni Indians. The diary dated 7/19-11/10/1874 documents A. C. Peale's expeditions along branches of the Gunnison River, during which he encounters local tribes on multiple occasions (8/29/1874 and 9/20/1874). The final diary (5/27-10/9/1877), which corresponds with trips into western Wyoming, records numerous interactions with Bannock and Shosoni. For example, A. C. Peale writes that a Shosoni woman shares news of a fight between the whites and the Sioux (6/7/1877), and he commends the English of Bannock outside a ranch near Smith Fork (6/29/1877). Not all interactions are harmonious, however. A. C. Peale also records that Bannock kill two teamsters (8/8/1877) and that one of his his party (Gibbon) loses 300 new guns in a fight (8/23/1877).
 
    
Albert C. Peale Papers contain nine volumes that might be classified as diaries. These volumes traverse the American Civil War and Reconstruction period (1864-1877) and provide a window into the exploration and conquest of what is today Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. The great-grandson of Charles Willson Peale, Albert Charles Peale was a prominent geologist in and author of numerous books in geology, mineralogy, and paleobotany. His journals offer a glimpse into his contributions to the Ferdinand Hayden expeditions, which explored and mapped the western United States. In furnishing numerous accounts of local indigenous peoples, including the Bannock and Shosoni, these volumes may interest scholars researching Native America, western exploration, the fields of geology and mineralogy, and the history of science.
 
The first three volumes in the Albert C. Peale Papers are the most idiosyncratic. They include a daybook with weather observations (3/10-5/18/1864), a diary associated with a tour of Washington, D.C. during President Andrew Johnson's administration (c.1865-1869), and a lecture notebook pertaining to studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Of those early volumes, A. C. Peale's diary of his tour of Washington D.C. is perhaps most noteworthy. It recounts his travels from Philadelphia through Wilmington and Baltimore, tours of monuments and government buildings, including the U.S. Patent Office, Government Printing Office, and White House, and a handshake with President Johnson during that tour (2/7/1865).
 
The remaining six diaries (1872-1877) are devoted to various western expeditions in what is today Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. In his first diary (5/15-7/20/1872), A. C. Peale recounts his travel by rail from Philadelphia to Omaha, from which he would conduct his western expeditions. The second volume (5/29-8/15/1873), devotes significant attention to his mineralogical work, including gathering fossils, documenting canyons and volcanic peaks, and ascending various peaks and plateaus. Notably, he references photographer William Henry Jackson, who he writes "disturbed us to take a picture." (8/8/1873). The next two diaries (8/16-10/26/1873 and 5/14/1873-7/18/1874) recount the movement of the party over the next year, most especially campsites, weather problems, and travel constraints. The latter volume also records trip to Savannah (11/20/1873) and includes some accounts in the back of the journal.
 
The final two volumes continue in much the same vein, but offer records of interactions with Bannock and Shosoni Indians. The diary dated 7/19-11/10/1874 documents A. C. Peale's expeditions along branches of the Gunnison River, during which he encounters local tribes on multiple occasions (8/29/1874 and 9/20/1874). The final diary (5/27-10/9/1877), which corresponds with trips into western Wyoming, records numerous interactions with Bannock and Shosoni. For example, A. C. Peale writes that a Shosoni woman shares news of a fight between the whites and the Sioux (6/7/1877), and he commends the English of Bannock outside a ranch near Smith Fork (6/29/1877). Not all interactions are harmonious, however. A. C. Peale also records that Bannock kill two teamsters (8/8/1877) and that one of his his party (Gibbon) loses 300 new guns in a fight (8/23/1877).
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 Subjects:  Accounts. | American Civil War, 1861-1865 | American Western Life | Bannock Indians | Diaries. | Expedition | Geology. | Indians of North America--West (U.S.) | Indigenous people. | Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875. | Mineralogy. | Railroad | Shoshoni Indians. | Sioux Nation. | Science. | Travel. | United States--Civilization--1865-1918. | University of Pennsylvania. | Weather. 
 Collection:  Albert C. Peale Papers  (Mss.SMs.Coll.5)  
  Go to the collection
 
6.Title:  Richard Joel Russell Notebooks (1938, 1952)
 Dates:  1938 - 1952 
 Extent:  4 volumes  
 Locations:  Adapazarı | Ankara | Assa | Izmit | Tiznit | Amsterdam | Andalsnes | Arles | Baton Rouge | Berlin | Bingen | Bonn | Cannes | Chioggia | Cologne | Copenhagen | Florence | Geneva | Grasse | Grenoble | Hamburg | Haugesund | Heerlen | Heidelberg | Helsinki | Innsbruck | Kiel | Koblenz | Kristiansund | Limburg | Lom | Lyon | Mainz | Marseille | Mittenwald | Montmajour | Montgomery | Munich | Odda | Oettingen in Bayern | Oslo | Paris | Pisa | Porvoo | Rotterdam | Rovigo | s-Hertogenbosch | Saint-Gilles | Saint-Louis | Sassnitz | Savannah | Seljestad | Stockholm | Strasbourg | Stuttgart | Tampere | Tyssedal | Utrecht | Valkenburg | Valldalen | Venice | Veracruz | Verdun | Verona | Versailles | Zurich 
 Abstract:  The Richard Joel Russell papers contain a two-volume travel diary of geographer and geologist Richard Joel Russell provides a detailed, on-the-ground account of the Europe on the eve of World War II. The diary follows Russell from a skiing strip in Norway through Berlin to Paris and into both Italy and Austria. These volumes document how Nazi and fascist propaganda comes to shape even prosaic affairs, such as going to the theater. Researchers interested in Europe at the threshold of World War II will be richly rewarded by this extraordinary pair of volumes.; The papers also contain two geological notebooks pertaining to Russell's 1952 expeditions. These volumes ought to interest researchers examining the Russell's research and the geology or geography of Morocco and Turkey. 
    
Russell's 1938 travel diary begins with attention to sightseeing and recreation (skiing) in Norway, but, within a few entries, they begin to record news from the south. "We are listening to radio news with interest, as Hitler has taken over Austria and there is a huge meeting of workers in Paris today, apparently ready to stir things up," he writes on 3/14. "I expect to go ahead with all summer plans, but the situation at least looks as if there may be some ugly clouds develop on the horizon." Russell ultimately continues in his travels, which carry him through some of Europe's largest cities.
 
First, he books a rail ticket to Paris, that takes him through Berlin. While in Germany, he attends a vaudeville performance bookended with Nazi propaganda films, a passage excerpted in Selected Quotations (4/3). From Paris he continues to Marseille and then Florence, where Adolf Hitler is slated to visit. "The station at Florence is new & modernistic--it is one of the finest I have seen south of Stuttgart, probably the finest," writes Russell on 4/26. "Hitler is to visit Florence and passports are being scrutinized as never before." Several days later, he recounts the fanfare accompanying Hitler's arrival: "Hitler passes in the morning, so Italian & German flags hang from windows along the whole route. At [Brenner], the border station, there were red carpets in the station--he will apparently cross the border on float" (5/2).
 
Russell continues onto Austria and Innsbruck, where he cannot escape Nazi changes. In Innsbruck, he writes that the "Jewish shops are designated" (5/2), and he finds himself "Awakened to the singing of marching troops up the Swastika bannered avenue" (5/3). Russell discusses the changes with two friends—Anna and Hans—both of whom appear critical of the Nazis. He fears for Hans's Steinmeyer organ business (excerpted in Selected Quotations).
 
From Innsbruck, Russell travels to the Nazi strongholds of Munich and Vienna. In Munich, he notes a celebration for "2000 years of German culture" (7/5). In Vienna, he notes the tenuous alliance between Italy and Germany. "The Germans are going to get mighty tired of their allies, in fact the ordinary 'man-on-the-street' is already has little to say when you mention the boys wearing the red & green ribbons, who exhale garlic fumes and crowd the street cars," Russell writes on 7/10. "Few people understand Italian and few Italians know any German. The whole alliance is repulsive to most Germans I think."
 
Russell's two geological notebooks begin in mid-August 1952 and contain notes concerning his travels throughout Morocco, such as Tiznit and various other small towns and villages. The second volume, dated October 1952, contains notes from Turkey, including excursions to Ankara, Adapazarı, and Izmit.
 
Russell provides studious observations concerning sand dunes, bedrock, and beaches
 
highways and roads
 
settlements and ruins
 
and his various modes of travel. For example, in a passage describing the journey between Notfia to Aoreora, he writes, "6-wheel-drive Dodge, 2-ton "personnel carriers had no difficulty, but a common automobile would find the road from difficult to impassable."
 
Elsewhere, he provides careful sketches of topography, and occasionally, even qualitative assessments of destinations. For example, he describes Assa as "an interesting and populous oasis" which was only "pacified" in the late-1930s.
 
    
The Richard Joel Russell papers contain a two-volume travel diary of geographer and geologist Richard Joel Russell provides a detailed, on-the-ground account of the Europe on the eve of World War II. The diary follows Russell from a skiing strip in Norway through Berlin to Paris and into both Italy and Austria. These volumes document how Nazi and fascist propaganda comes to shape even prosaic affairs, such as going to the theater. Researchers interested in Europe at the threshold of World War II will be richly rewarded by this extraordinary pair of volumes.; The papers also contain two geological notebooks pertaining to Russell's 1952 expeditions. These volumes ought to interest researchers examining the Russell's research and the geology or geography of Morocco and Turkey.
 
Russell's 1938 travel diary begins with attention to sightseeing and recreation (skiing) in Norway, but, within a few entries, they begin to record news from the south. "We are listening to radio news with interest, as Hitler has taken over Austria and there is a huge meeting of workers in Paris today, apparently ready to stir things up," he writes on 3/14. "I expect to go ahead with all summer plans, but the situation at least looks as if there may be some ugly clouds develop on the horizon." Russell ultimately continues in his travels, which carry him through some of Europe's largest cities.
 
First, he books a rail ticket to Paris, that takes him through Berlin. While in Germany, he attends a vaudeville performance bookended with Nazi propaganda films, a passage excerpted in Selected Quotations (4/3). From Paris he continues to Marseille and then Florence, where Adolf Hitler is slated to visit. "The station at Florence is new & modernistic--it is one of the finest I have seen south of Stuttgart, probably the finest," writes Russell on 4/26. "Hitler is to visit Florence and passports are being scrutinized as never before." Several days later, he recounts the fanfare accompanying Hitler's arrival: "Hitler passes in the morning, so Italian & German flags hang from windows along the whole route. At [Brenner], the border station, there were red carpets in the station--he will apparently cross the border on float" (5/2).
 
Russell continues onto Austria and Innsbruck, where he cannot escape Nazi changes. In Innsbruck, he writes that the "Jewish shops are designated" (5/2), and he finds himself "Awakened to the singing of marching troops up the Swastika bannered avenue" (5/3). Russell discusses the changes with two friends—Anna and Hans—both of whom appear critical of the Nazis. He fears for Hans's Steinmeyer organ business (excerpted in Selected Quotations).
 
From Innsbruck, Russell travels to the Nazi strongholds of Munich and Vienna. In Munich, he notes a celebration for "2000 years of German culture" (7/5). In Vienna, he notes the tenuous alliance between Italy and Germany. "The Germans are going to get mighty tired of their allies, in fact the ordinary 'man-on-the-street' is already has little to say when you mention the boys wearing the red & green ribbons, who exhale garlic fumes and crowd the street cars," Russell writes on 7/10. "Few people understand Italian and few Italians know any German. The whole alliance is repulsive to most Germans I think."
 
Russell's two geological notebooks begin in mid-August 1952 and contain notes concerning his travels throughout Morocco, such as Tiznit and various other small towns and villages. The second volume, dated October 1952, contains notes from Turkey, including excursions to Ankara, Adapazarı, and Izmit.
 
Russell provides studious observations concerning sand dunes, bedrock, and beaches
 
highways and roads
 
settlements and ruins
 
and his various modes of travel. For example, in a passage describing the journey between Notfia to Aoreora, he writes, "6-wheel-drive Dodge, 2-ton "personnel carriers had no difficulty, but a common automobile would find the road from difficult to impassable."
 
Elsewhere, he provides careful sketches of topography, and occasionally, even qualitative assessments of destinations. For example, he describes Assa as "an interesting and populous oasis" which was only "pacified" in the late-1930s.
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  Selected Quotations
  • "There were propaganda movies both before and after the [vaudeville] performances. There are propaganda movies…all over the city and I saw several long parades of soldiers and sailors. Today, vote 'JA' 'You owe your thanks to the Leader,' etc. All in all I prefer Russia to Berlin. I was never keen on the wrinkled necked Prussians and right now they look cockier than ever. If they ever tangle with Russia, I think my sympathies will be on the Russian side. When the Russians get together they sing, and the song has such a nice melody you go away whistling it. I leave Berlin with nothing but the beating of drums and unmelodic blasts of brass horns in my musical mind. 'One Reich, One People, One Leader.' The stores are full the new map of Germany, with Austria included. The streets are full of soldiers. So far as I know I had no real coffee, butter, or white bread. But the stores seem well stocked and prices are fairly reasonable in terms of countries to the north" (4/3/1938)

  • "Anna looks fine, but Hitler is preying on her mind, and is hard for her to talk about other things, without coming back to how awful conditions are in Germany. She has never said 'Heil' yet and hopes to keep up the record" (5/7)

  • "[Hans] looks fine, is as jovial & entertaining as ever, and is as anti as a person can be about Hitler. His business is none too good, employs 80% of his regular force, but can't export anything as the mark at 40 cents is too high. He has to buy pewter from smugglers for his organ pipes as it is unlawful to use it for things other than armaments--so faces possible fine & jail in order to keep up the standard of Steinmeyer organs. His men say 'Gruss Gatt,' as Bavarians always have. Even now this whole district votes 'Nein.' But I'm afraid that the Steinmeyer's are unwise in not playing ball with the Nazi outfit and think that they are suffering somewhat needlessly financially--possible not--organs are sold to churches, and churches don't 'Heil.' Hans says many churches buy organs now because they are afraid that unused money will be confiscated" (5/8/1938)
 
 Subjects:  Americans Abroad | Austria--History--1918-1938. | Diaries. | Europe. | Expedition | Fascism. | France--History--1914-1940. | Geography. | Geology. | Germany--History--1933-1945. | Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945. | Italy--History--1914-1945. | Morocco - Description and travel. | Nazis. | Propaganda. | Science. | Travel. | Turkey--Description and travel. | World War II. 
 Collection:  Richard Joel Russell papers, [ca. 1930s-1971]  (Mss.B.R91,.d,.m,.n)  
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